Follow focus with tiny Oly/Pany M4/3 lenses on the AF100?

M

Michael_Lindberg

Member
I'm putting together a package for my AF100 and am hitting kind of a snag in the wide-normal range. I don't have a whole lot of money (trying to keep it under $7000, batteries, cards, follow focus, lenses), and so I'm wondering what the best options are for follow focus-capable lenses.

For tiny lenses, I'd look at picking up the 9-18 m4/3, and the 14 and 20 mm Panasonic and also already have the 25 mm Olympus pancake from my E-450 DSLR. They are also super tiny lenses, and looking at the follow focus I plan on buying (the TrusMT T2), I'm not sure they will be able to work well with it. Anybody have any experience using a follow focus with tiny lenses? I realize it's not ideal, but I can't quite afford the 7-14 (the m4/3 or the 4/3) or the 14-35 yet.

The other lenses I'm looking at are the 11-22 or for $200 more, get the 12-60 Olympus. The only hesitation I have is that the 12-60 has a bit of distortion at the wide end, but it's a more versatile lens overall. These are more normal sized lenses and won't have any problems, so should I just get these?
 
I can't advise you on which lenses to get, that seems to be a matter of personal preference, and it depends a lot on your application. But a follow focus is impractical with the pancake lenses. If you need FF because you want to have a focus puller, Nikon primes are probably a better bet. If you just want the control, you can try a zip tie with a wall mount (can be bought for a few cents). I use a Varizoom controller I mounted on a custom made handle - this gives me the best control of anything I've tried and I never have to worry about accidentally getting a finger in the shot.

See: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...-Handle-w-Varizoom-controller-(Olaf-inspired)
 
I prefer the Tokina 11-16mm personally as a wide lens. I have the Nikon version and a Novoflex adapter. It doesn't distort too much either.
 
I saw some people using the Tokina. $600 for the lens and another $250 for the Novoflex adapter is a bit much for me at this point. I'm probably going to end up getting the 9-18 regular Four Thirds lens. It's about $550 and wider as well.
 
I have the 14, 20 and 45 mm Lumix lenses as well as the Voigtlander 25 mm and the Olympus 12-60. I gave up on using a follow-focus with the Lumix lenses as mine (which is a Shoot35 CineFocus) cannot be mounted that close to the camera. That means it can't operate the lenses properly, especially the pancakes. Since they are focus-by-wire anyway, this is not a big loss- the focus marks wouldn't be repeatable anyway.

The 12-60 is an OK lens, and works better with a follow focus. However, it does have the annoying electronic aperture "jumps" if you find yourself having to zoom whilst rolling. I want to love the lens but somehow I just can't. Love the focal length range, certainly. Optical quality and sharpness are OK, but it is too slow at the telephoto end. I'm using it happily enough, but in retrospect maybe a Nikon 17-55 f/2.8might have been better (or even a RED zoom if I was going the single zoom route).

Be clear- these lens choices are all compromises. None of them are really dedicated cine lenses. It just depends which compromises you can live with... and it is worth living with some compromises if you can't afford a full set of CP.2's or an LWZ/Alura or similar.

Far and away my favourite and most uses lenses of the bunch are the Lumix 45 mm (which is just lovely as a closeup/portrait lens) and the Voigtlander 25 mm (which is just lovely full stop- might see about getting mine de-clicked). These are the two I would recommend without hesitation. The 14 mm is a great lens for roaming around shoulder mounted on autofocus, if you need that "gritty docudrama" look but it isn't all that sharp, especially wide open. The 20 mm is a great stills lens but somehow fails to excite me on the AF100 and I basically only use it if there isn't space to get the shot with the Voigtlander. (I wouldn't have bought it separately, I already had it as a partner to my GF1 for stills). The 12-60 is good so long as you can stick at f/4 and nice if can't be changing lenses frequently.

Regards, Hywel
 
Panasonic is about to announce several new M43 products in June. I hope this includes the anticipated Lumix Leica DG 25mm f/1.4 and, maybe, the redesigned Lumix G Vario 7-14mm (hopefully brighter and sharper). Advantages are, of course, the native mount and auto-, including 3rd party remote control. Wouldn't it be nice to have access to a complete range of native M43 lenses of decent quality (i.e., speed, sharpness, no barrel, and no chromatic aberrations) with auto- and manual controls? One could then just standardize on a single remote control.
 
I just noticed basic R.J. Follow Focus reviewed by Darren Levine above for $35 shipped on eBay. Hard to tell if this is a real deal.
 
imdjay said:
this FF can reverse the gear, and can get it right up to the camera mount in most cases
Click to expand...

Interesting. But I notice that the gear belt end clamps together in an overlap manner. Doesn't this mean the belt never conforms perfectly to the lens? You probably feel increasing resistance when rotation approaches that point on the belt, correct?
 
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When significantly cheaper than the one shipped directly from china, well, a fool and his money are soon parted.
 
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